Ice-tractor



J. H. RILEY.

, ICE TRACTOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG- I, I920.

Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

J. H. RILEY.

ICE TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJB, 1920.

1,391,506, PatentedSpt. 20,1921;

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

awe/whoa,

WWW

' Show J. H. RILEY'L ICE TRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-16,1920.

Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TJOBNi-H. ,BILEY, OF MENOM-INEE, MICHIGAN.

Ion-T ACTOR.

T 0 all whom it'may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. RILEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Menominee, in the county of Menominee and State'of Michigan, .have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ice-Tractors'; and I do declare-the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains, to make and use the same. Y

My invention has ,for its object to provide a comparatively simple and inexpensive, yet a highly eflicient and in every way desirable ice tractor which may be constructed by converting an automobile; and with this object in view, the invention resides in the novel features of construction and unique arrangement of parts as hereinafter fully described,

claimed, and illustrated. In Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, a side elevation of the invention is shown, partly broken away and in section.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view. Fig. 3 is a rear, end elevation. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on the plane of the line 4-4'of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section of one of the driving wheels.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the calks with which the driving wheels are equipped.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 designates a main portable frame whose front end is supported by a dirigible truck having runners 2, said frame carrying a suitable motor (not shown) for driving a rear axle or jack shaft 3 which is provided with an axle casing 4. The axle 3 is equipped with differential gearing at its center located in the housing 5.

An arched transverse beam 6 contacts with the front side of the axle casing 4 and is clamped thereon by vertical bars 7 bolted to the beam at 8, said bars being positioned in rear of the casing as shown. Runners 9 support the beam 6 and the latter supports the rear end of frame 1. At 10, a pair of vertically swinging frames 11 are hinged to the bars 7 and extend rearwardly therefrom, the rear ends of said frames carrying. driving wheels 12 for engagement with the ice. Each driving wheel preferably consists of an axle 13, a pair of metal disks 14 secured on said axle, and radially disposed calks 15 secured between the peripheral portions of Specification ofjLetters Patent.

Patented Sept. 20,1921.

Appllcation'flled August 16, 1920. Serial No. 403,885.

said disks by rivets or the like 16, the outer ends of said calks by preference being.twist' ed to position them transversely of. the wheels, turned forwardly to grip the ice,

and provided withhardened steel terminals v 17. Sprocket chains 18 and suitable sprockets are provided for driving the wheels 12 from the axle '3, and by preference, the por tions of the frames 11 carrying said wheels, are braced to the differential housing 5 by brace rods 19 loosely mounted at both ends, so that the two frames 11 may have free vertical movement.

A pair of leaf springs 20 are secured to and curve upwardly and rearwardly from the frame 1, said springs carrying a transverse arched bar 21 upon which a longitudinal lever 22 is fulcrumed, the rear end of said lever having laterally and rearwardly extending arms 23 connected by coiled springs 24 with additional transverse arched bars 25 secured to the rear ends of the frames 11. The front end of lever 22 extends within easy reach of the driver and by any suitable means such as the loop 26 and pins 27 may be held in adjusted position. By proper actuation of the lever 22, the entire weight of the frames 11 and driving wheels 12 may be utilized to retain the latter in engagement with the ice, but when the vehicle has once been started, it has been found in actual practice that much better results are obtained if the calks 15 are only permitted to penetrate about one-sixteenth of an inch. The lever 22 is therefore operated to cause the springs 20 and 24 to support practically all weight of the driving wheels and their carrying frames, and it will be obvious that these springs coact in permitting the necessary floating or vertical play of the wheels as they travel over the surface of the ice.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be obvious that although my invention is of simple and inexpensive nature, it will be highly eflicient and in every way desirable. Since probably the best results are obtained from the details and arrangement shown and described, these features are by preference ing rearwardly from said main frame, driving wheels mounted on said vertically swinging frames, driving means for said wheels,-

ing connections between said lateral arms and said vertically swinging frames.

2. In an ice tractor, a portable main frame, a pair of vertically swinging frames extending rearwardly from said main frame, driving wheels mounted on said vertically swinging frames and driving means for said wheels, a pair of springs mounted on said main frame and a transverse arch extending between said springs, a longitudinal lever fulcrumed on said arch and having lateral arms at its rear end, an additional transverse arch carried by each of said vertically swinging frames, and spring connections beflat beam standing on edge in a vertical plane and secured in contact with one side of saidaxle, said beam having a central. notch receiving said differential housing and being provided near its ends'with' openings adj acent th ends of the axle, sprocket wheels on said axle positioned in said openings, vertically swinging framespivoted'to and extending rearwardly from said beam, driving wheels carried by said frames. and having sprocket wheels alined with the aforesaid sprocket wheels, chains trained around all r of said sprocket wheels, and runners supporting the ends of the aforesaid beam.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set In hand. V a

y i J H. RILEY. 

